Improvement in arm-supporters for riflemen



s. KINMAN. Arm-Supporter for Rifiemen.

No. 46,365. Patented Feb. 14. 1865.

N.PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON, D C

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrucla SETH KINMAN, OF HUMBOLDT BAY, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ARM-SUPPORTERS FOR RIFLEMEN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,365, dated February 14, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SETH KINMAN, of Humboldt Bay, in the county of Humboldt and State of California, have invented a new and useful Arm Supporter and Rest; and I hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of this invention is to furnish a supporter and rest for the arm of sharp-shooters and others where it is necessary to keep the arm fixed and steady, as in shooting offhand. By the use of my invention a sharpshooter is able to direct his aim with the same degree of accuracy when shooting off; hand as in shooting from a fixed rest. This supporter or rest is worn upon the body of the sharpshooter without inconvenience, and when not in use does not incommode the wearer. In

fact, it serves as a brace and support to the.

chest of the wearer, and the straps may take the place of the waist-belt usually worn by huntsmen.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my invention. Fig. 2 shows the part 0 enlarged, and Fig. 3 shows the manner of wearing and using my invention.

The same letters denote like parts in all the figures.

A is a band, of metal or other suitable material, made to fit the left side of the body at the waist, and provided with straps a a, by which it may be secured in that position. A rod, B, made of the same or like material, is firmly attached to the band at about equal distances from its ends, and the said rod is provided with a strap, 1), which encircles the chest of the wearer when in position. A slotted rod, E, is attached to the rod B by means of clampscrews j, which pass through the slot in such a manner that the length of the said rod may be adjusted to suit the size of the wearer. The upper part of the rod E is bent over, forming a right angle with the main portion, and the said upper part carries a swivel, O, to which the arm F is jointed. One edge of the said upper part is formed into notches, as shown at c, which engage and hold the part G of the arm F when the apparatus is used as a rest. The armF has a band, D, attached to it by means of a slotted bar and clamp-screws, the said band being designed as a support for the arm of the wearer, and being confined thereto by means of the straps d d. The band D should be padded to make it more comfortable. WVhen not needed to support the arm, the bar F is thrown off, so as not to engage in the notches c, and the arm is then free'to move in its natural way. Instead of the swiveljoint as shown in the drawings, any other joint capable of like freedom of motion may be usedsuch, for example, as the bulb andsocket joint or the staple-joint. The instrument shown in the drawings is adapted to be worn on the left side; but it is evident that it can be made to fit the right side of the wearer, so as to form a support for the right arm.

The stiff parts A B G D, &c., are preferably made of metal, such as iron, steel, brass, &c.; but other materialssuch as horn, hard rubber, whalebone, and even woodmay be used, if desired or found convenient. By the adjustment in the length of the bars B and F the same instrument may be made to fit persons of different sizes within certain limits.

Having thus described my invention and the mode of constructing it, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact mechanical details described, since these may be greatly varied without departing from the nature of my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States,

1. An arm supporter and rest, constructed and operating substantially as herein set forth and described.

2. The combination of the base or band A and bars E and F, constructed as described.

3. The bar F, provided with an arm-piece, D, and jointed to a support, E, in such a man ner that said bar may be fixed as a rigid support for the arm or made to vibrate freely, as

required, substantially as set forth.

SETH KINMAN.

Witnesses:

K. V. WHALEY, I ENGLISH. 

